City awards $477,122.50 sewer bid

UNION — The City of Union’s ongoing program of improvements to the sewer system serving the Union Mill Village area moved forward this week with the awarding of a bid for the third phase of the program.

In a presentation to Union City Council Tuesday evening, City of Union Utility Department Director Joe Nichols stated that the city had originally received bids for the project on Oct. 27, 2015. At that time, the project consisted of replacing approximately 1,962 linear feet of sanitary sewer and the replacement of approximately 6,681 linear feet of existing sidewalk in the Union Mill Village within the city limits.

Three bids were received with the lowest being $646,100.40, but grant funds available for the project totaled only $472,132. As a result, Nichols said the decision was made to reduce the scope of the project and rebid it.

Following the reductions, Phase III now consists of the installation of approximately 1,685 linear feet of sanitary sewer and the replacement of approximately 3,182 linear feet of sidewalk in the Union Mill Village.

Nichols told council that Smith Backhoe and Construction, LLC submitted a bid for the project on Jan. 12. He it was the only bid the city received for the project during the rebidding.

At Nichols’ recommendation, the city then awarded the bid to Smith Backhoe and Construction for $477,122.50.

The improvements will be made along Green Street, Lybrand Street, West Main Street, Boyce Street, Mill Avenue, and Erwin Avenue.

Crematorium

In other business, council also voted unanimously to approve first reading of an ordinance amending the City of Union Zoning Ordinance to crematoriums within the city.

The proposed change was presented by Robby Moody, Senior Planner for the Catawba Regional Council of Governments, who stated that the owner of Lewis Funeral Home had requested the change.

In his presentation to council, Moody stated that the Zoning Code would be “clarified and strengthened to better address this type of operation.” Moody further stated that the “Table of Permitted Uses for Non-Residential Districts will be amended to provide accommodation for a crematorium in Non-Residential Districts.” He also stated that the definitions section of the code would be “amended to address crematorium and funeral home.”

Moody’s presentation included the definition of a mortuary as “an establishment providing services such as preparing the human dead for burial, arranging and managing funerals. This classification excludes cemeteries, crematoriums and columbariums.

The presentation also included the definition of a crematorium as “a facility containing properly installed, certified apparatus for use in the act of cremation of the human dead.”

Moody stated that city staff “recommends approval of the proposed amendment to promote private enterprise in a convenient manner that supports and protects the public health, safety and welfare.”

Budget Meetings

Council also voted unanimously to approve a recommendation by Finance Director Walker Gallman that March 29, 30 and 31 be set as the dates for the 2016-2017 budget workshop.